A typical dishwasher should last about 10 years, according to Consumer Reports. But that doesn’t mean you won’t need to spend money on repairs during that time. In fact, Consumer Reports surveyed its members and found that 30% of all newly purchased dishwashers are likely to have issues within five years of installation. Does that mean you should replace your dishwasher when it starts requiring repairs? The answer isn’t a straightforward yes or no.

The 50% Rule

As with other appliances, the 50% Rule applies: if your dishwasher is over 50% of its expected lifespan of 10 years, and it costs more than 50% of its replacement cost to repair it, it may be time to think about replacement. Obviously, that calculation also changes if you are remodeling and want something that’s a better fit either in style or dimension, or if you want something more efficient than what you’ve been using.

New Dishwasher Costs
There are two factors to consider here: the cost of the appliance itself and the cost of installation. Dishwasher prices vary wildly, depending on the quality and design features you desire. You can get a dishwasher for under $500, but it will be noisy and have a plastic tub. Those between $500 and $1000 will be quiet, have a stainless steel tub, and more versatile racks. Over $1000, dishwashers will be virtually silent, with design features and wifi. So that’s the first decision you need to make. Then, there’s the installation cost. In the Milwaukee area, those vary from around $150 to $300 (again type of dishwasher is a factor here). So if you have a high quality dishwasher that will cost almost $1000 to replace, then a $300 repair becomes a much more attractive option. Likewise, if you have a dishwasher that was inexpensive to begin with, you may want to replace it.

Repair Costs
Obviously, the cost to repair your dishwasher will depend on what is wrong with it. If it’s a simple thing like door seals, it could be as little as $50. If it’s major, it could run into hundreds of dollars. Many dishwasher repairs arise from neglected maintenance, so it’s a good thing to have a maintenance contract with a reputable appliance place, like Dave’s Appliance. That way, your dishwasher will get regular servicing, minimizing the need for high-cost repairs.

Prevention
There are simple things you can do to prevent dishwasher repairs being necessary. For one thing, make sure to remove debris from plates and bowls before loading them into your dishwasher. Small chicken bones, for example, can clog your dishwasher’s drain hose or damage its other components. Use your dishwasher appropriately—don’t run it when it’s half full, and don’t overfill it either. Beware of forcing dishes into positions on the racks that strain the construction. And always use proper automatic dishwashing detergent, not dish soap made for hand washing.

If treated right, your dishwasher could last beyond 10 years, but that’s the general life-span of a dishwasher. If you have any questions about whether your dishwasher should be replaced or repaired, reach out to the experts at Dave’s Appliance. We’ll give you a straight answer.

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Stoves are crucial to your family’s health. If food isn’t cooked properly, it can lead to more than unhappy family members; it can cause illness. If your oven or stovetop isn’t working the way it used to, you need to make a decision whether to repair or replace. When only one burner on the stovetop functions, or the oven is taking forever to preheat, it’s time to consider your options.

The 50% Rule
As with other appliances, the 50% Rule applies: if your appliance is over 50% of its expected lifespan, and it costs more than 50% of its replacement cost to repair it, you’d be well advised to replace it. You can expect most stoves or ovens to give good service for at least 15 years. That time length varies depending on the quality of the stove. Another factor that affects this general rule is the availability of repair parts. Some brands have parts that are harder to replace, or are otherwise not as well supplied by manufacturers. Obviously, that calculation also changes if you are remodelling and want something that’s a better fit either in style or dimension, or if (in the case of an electric oven, particularly) you want something more efficient than what you’ve been using.

Intangible Considerations

Every stove is slightly different, and you may know just how your particular stove works for you. Those who like to bake understand that times and temperatures need to be modified to their appliance, and it is perfectly understandable to want to preserve your stove as long as possible. Likewise, if your stove is an integral part of your kitchen decor, you might be motivated to repair it rather than have something that clashes with the other appliances. These intangible considerations are just as important as the cold monetary calculations.

At-home Repair
Stoves and ovens are a little tricky because of the temperatures they heat to and the electrical or gas elements they use. If you feel confident about tackling an issue yourself, you can check out our DIY guide on gas stoves here, and our DIY guide on electric stoves here. However, if you are at all hesitant about performing your own repairs, skip those and call the helpful, knowledgeable folks at Dave’s Appliance now.

Local and Warranty Repairs
Consumer surveys indicate that on average people are happier with repairs performed by local repair services over factory repairs. Having a local repair company means that they’re really dedicated to you, not the manufacturer. If your warranty is still in force, you should check whether the manufacturer uses local agents.

Additional Costs and Fees
Before deciding to replace your current stove, you should be aware of unintended costs and fees. Beware of stoves with settings or extras you’re unlikely to use. Every addition adds to the cost. And the “smarter” the oven, the more learning for you! Don’t forget that installation costs can be significant for major appliances. At Dave’s Appliance, any quotes we give you include everything, so you’re not going to be unpleasantly surprised: No Hidden Costs, Ever.

If your stove or oven can be safely and cost-effectively repaired, Dave’s Appliance will get it done for you. And if not, they’ll let you know and help you find something new. Give them a call.

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Your freezer is an important part of your family’s health and safety. If you’re finding the food from your freezer has freezer burn, or isn’t properly frozen, you’ve got a problem. Likewise, if your freezer is leaking water, or has frost buildup, something is definitely wrong. In this post, we’ll describe some symptoms your freezer may be displaying, and the reasons for them.

Frost Buildup.
Frost buildup can be very annoying. It decreases storage space in your freezer, and it may trap odors, or encourage freezer burn. Frost buildup can indicate a number of issues. It may result from improper fridge position, poor seals, dirty coils, or clogged freezer drain.

Freezer Not Freezing.
If your food isn’t actually freezing, then you are at risk of illness, in addition to losing food. Check the coils. If they are clean, it may be a problem with the evaporator fan motor, or the starter may not be working right. Those issues will require one of the experts at Dave’s Appliance.

Freezer Runs Constantly.
If you’re hearing your freezer run all the time, then your freezer is working too hard. That is costing you money in the electricity used. Check the temperature setting; it may be too low. Otherwise, it could be the condenser fan motor or evaporator fan motor. Those repairs need the expertise of Dave’s Appliance.

Clicking Sound.
A clicking sound from your freezer means that you should call Dave’s Appliance. Almost certainly, it’s not something that can be easily rectified. It may be a malfunctioning starter relay, or it could indicate that coolant is not moving through the coils properly. In any event, it is an issue that requires professional attention.

Freezer Leaking Water. If it is only the freezer and not the refrigerator that is leaking water, it is probably a clogged or frozen defrost drain. You can remove the cover to expose the freezer drain and check if there is an obvious clog. If so, extract it. If the drain is frozen, you can choose whether or not to deal with it yourself.

Frozen Defrost Drain. If you’re uncomfortable removing freezer covers to expose the defrost drain, or are worried about what you may find once you do, just call Dave’s Appliance. In addition to the typical issues with the defrost drain outlined above, there’s the possibility that the drain strap may have fallen off or deteriorated. If so, Dave’s Appliance can fix or replace it.

All of these problems are symptoms of an underlying issue. Here are five reasons your freezer might not be working right.

1.Refrigerator position. The refrigerator needs to be positioned away from the wall slightly to allow enough room for the air to circulate. The heat from the compressor needs to have sufficient room to dissipate.

2.Temperature. Sometimes the temperature setting becomes inadvertently moved. Your freezer should be set to 0º to keep food properly frozen. It’s a good idea to keep a thermometer in your freezer to monitor the temperature.

3.Freezer door seals. The seals of the freezer should be clean and in good repair. Simply use soapy water and then apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to maintain the seals.

4.Coils. The condenser coils can become dirty and dusty. Use a vacuum to clean the debris off.

5.Defrost drain. The defrost drain may become clogged or frozen. To deal with this situation, unplug the refrigerator and remove freezer covers so you can get at the drain. Then pour hot water down the drain until it is dripping into the drain pan under the refrigerator. That will deal with any ice, and may dislodge a clog. If necessary, use soapy water with some ammonia.

You don’t want to take chances with your family’s health. If you have any concerns, call the experts at Dave’s Appliance, and we’ll be able to diagnose and fix the problem.

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If you live in an area with hard water, you must be wondering, does hard water cause dishwasher problems? Unfortunately, it does. Some of the common problems as given by dishwasher repair professionals include:

Residues on the dishes

Here the clear glassware and dishes have a strangely cloudy or chalky residue after removing them from the dishwasher. The cloudy appearance is usually from the mineral deposits in the water.

Although, the glasses and utensils coated with the residue are technically safe to eat with, they can send the wrong picture to the guests. The cloudy dishes also don’t look good sitting in your kitchen.

Residues coating the insides of your dishwasher.

Besides the minerals in the dishes, you are also bound to have the minerals coating the insides of your dishwasher so that you have a cloudy dishwasher.

While the residues on the dishes aren’t of much concern, you have a reason to worry when you have the minerals on your dishwasher, as it’s a matter of time before your dishwasher gets damaged when large deposits build up.

To prevent the minerals from building up too much, make it a habit to clean them with cleaning vinegar. Fill a dishwasher-safe bowl or grass with a cup of cleaning vinegar and place it in the dishwasher. Let the dishwasher run once on a short cycle, and the buildup will go away.

This works because vinegar contains acid that breaks down the minerals on your water and helps the dishwasher flush them out on its own.

Rusting of the dishwasher

When your dishwasher is exposed to hard water for too long, it’s bound to start developing rust patches. There is nothing good about a rusty dishwasher—it’s not sanitary to clean your dishes in the rusty water, and it’s a matter of time before the dishwasher becomes too rusty and breaks.

Hard water causes rust because some of the minerals in hard water are salts that begin corroding the dishwasher when exposed to water and oxygen.

The dishwasher fails to clean the dishes.

It’s one thing for the dishes to come out of the dishwasher with mineral residues on them and an entire ballgame for them to continually come out dirty with bits of food still stuck to them.

When you allow a lot of mineral deposits from the hard water to build up inside the water lines of your dishwasher, they restrict water flow, which significantly reduces the ability of the dishwasher to clean the dishes.

How do you deal with the hard water problem?

To avoid the problems that come with hard water, there are several things you can do. Some of these things include:

Soften the water

Softening the water takes care of the problem from the source. To soften the water, you need to install a water softener that will lower the levels of calcium and magnesium in the water and provide your entire house with softer water.

Use more detergent

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of installing a water softener, consider adding more detergent when running your dishwasher. To tell how much is more, refer to your user’s manual.

Run the dishwasher with vinegar

As mentioned above, vinegar does an excellent job at clearing out hard water stains in the dishwasher. As soon as you notice a calcium scale on the bottom of your dishwasher, fill a cup with vinegar and run a cycle with the cup on the top rack.

Add a rinse aid

The purpose of the rinse aid is to get rid of the spotty and streaky dishes. Upon adding the aid, the dishes come out clean—they aren’t cloudy. When using the detergent, consult your user’s manual to find out the amount of rinse aid you can add to your dishwasher without causing any damage.

There you go

As you can see, hard water is not only harmful to your dishes, but the dishwasher as well. While there are plenty of temporary solutions to the problems brought about by hard water, it’s better to fix the problem once and for all. Work with an appliance repair Springfield professional and find out the best way to go about it.

The post Does Hard Water Cause Dishwasher Problems? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

Have you just bought a washing machine and wondering, do washing machines consume a lot of electricity? Well, it’s hard to give a definite answer to this question as the appliance’s energy consumption is dependent on several factors that include:

Condition of the washing machine

Is your washing machine new? Is it old? This will significantly affect its energy consumption. An older appliance will consume more energy as it tends to run inefficiently.

The condition of the appliance will be primarily affected by how you take care of it. Do you hire washer repair technicians when it develops problems, or do you ignore it?

If you are a responsible homeowner and fix your appliance whenever it develops a problem, your appliance will run more efficiently and consume little energy, but if you ignore it to put off repair till a later date, you are in no luck as it will consume a lot of energy.

To keep your appliance in top shape, make it a habit to fix any problem as soon as it comes about. It’s also wise to hire an appliance tune-up professional at least once a year to tune up the appliance and fix any problematic areas.

Size of the washing machine

The other factor that will affect the energy consumption of your appliance is the size of the machine. As a rule of thumb, the larger the device, the higher the energy consumption.

This means that you should be cautious about the size of the machine you buy. If you live alone or have a small family, there is no point in purchasing a large, commercial appliance, as you will be pouring money down the drain with a huge electricity bill.

While a large machine might be consuming a lot of energy, you should note that sometimes you might have even higher bills if you overuse a small machine. For example, if you have a large family, having a small machine means you will have to run several loads at a time to clean all the clothes. As you can tell, when you have your appliance running all the time, you have a high-energy bill.

To save money, if you have a large family, get a large appliance. It will cost you more to purchase initially, but it will save you a lot in the long term.

Type of washing machine

The type of washing machine will also determine your energy consumption. If this is the first time buying the appliance, you should note that front-load washing machines are more efficient hence use less electricity and water, so these are the ones to go for.

Load size per wash

When you load just a few clothes, the machine will consume little energy, right? Wrong. The machine will consume the same amount of electricity as if it was fully loaded. So always fully load the machine to save money—never underload the machine, then run several cycles as you will receive a scary electricity bill at the end of the month.

You should note that there is a vast difference between fully loading and overloading the machine. As you can tell, overloading is when you load the machine more than it can handle. As much as you want to save energy, never overload as you risk damaging the machine’s drum bearings and belt.

An overloaded machine also doesn’t clean the clothes well enough, so you have to redo them.

Style of washing the clothes

You can wash the clothes in two ways—hot washing and cold washing them. As you can tell, hot washing is when you wash the clothes using hot water, and cold washing is when you wash them using cold water.

Since you need to use electricity to heat the water, hot washing usually consumes a lot of electricity. Unless necessary, avoid hot washing your clothes.

Type of detergent

While there are plenty of detergents, there are different detergents for top and front-loading machines. Choosing the wrong detergent means that you have to do multiple wash cycles, increasing energy consumption.

To avoid multiple wash cycles, always take your time to understand the right detergent to use. If not sure, get the input of an appliance repair Alexandria professional.

The post Do Washing Machines Consume A Lot Of Electricity? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

Although people have been doing laundry for centuries, studies show that few people properly use their washing machines. As a result, many homeowners have to keep hiring washer repair professionals to fix their appliances as they keep failing.

Improperly using the washing machine also means that the clothes don’t get clean as well as they should. Are you wondering how do you do laundry like a pro? Well, there are plenty of ways to do it. They include:

Use the proper water temperature

Different water temperatures are ideal for cleaning different fabrics, so you need to use the proper temperature for effective cleaning. Coldwater is best for delicate fabrics, items that might shrink, and sensitive dark colors that can bleed.

Besides cold water protecting your fabrics, it also saves you money as you don’t have to use electricity to heat the water.

If you have soiled clothing or human-made fabrics, these are best cleaned with warm water.

On the other hand, hot water is best used to clean towels, beddings, cotton whites, and heavily stained work clothes, especially those stained with grease or oil.

Sort your clothes before putting them in the washing machine

The last thing you want is some of the fabrics bleeding and the different colors getting on the other clothes. For example, your pink underwear or tie bleeding on your white t-shirt. You wouldn’t want this, would you?

To ensure that this doesn’t happen, sort your clothes before putting them in the washing machine.

If you aren’t sure whether the outfit is colorfast and will bleed color into the other clothes, before you put it in the washing machine, wet a cotton swab and rub it on the inside corner or seam and see if the dye transfers to the swab. If it does, hand wash it separately.

Use the suitable detergent.

The detergent you use goes a long way towards how well the outfits pan out and how long the washing machine lasts. Different detergents are ideal for different loads, so you need to know the suitable detergent to use for the load you are running.

Powdered detergents are best when you are running general loads, and the beauty with them is they are usually affordable.  Unfortunately, they don’t dissolve easily in cold water and leave white residues on the fabrics.

Liquid detergents contain enzymes, and they are best for removing stains. When buying the detergents, always pay attention to the enzymes listed in the list of ingredients. As a rule of thumb, the more the enzymes in the formula, the better the detergent hence, the better the cleaning power.

You can also clean your outfits with tablets, packs, and pods. While they are convenient and easy to use, be cautious and avoid overdosing. Remember that you can easily spend a lot of money on these, so be careful about the price per load.

If you don’t have money to invest in a quality detergent, you can always make one using one of the many formulas.

Regardless of the detergent you are using to clean your outfits, be cautious of the amount you use, as using too much of it can create suds that trap the soil and deposit it into the clothes.

For the best results, use one-half less detergent than the recommended amount. By doing this, your clothes will not only look better, but you will also save a lot of money.

Turn the clothes inside out before washing them.

Clothes are expensive, and you don’t want them to fade and look worn out, so you need to be cautious when cleaning them. As a rule of thumb, turn them inside out before washing them. The purpose of doing this is to avoid abrasion and wearing out the fabric surface.

Handle the delicates with care

Plenty of people have reported their underwear and bras getting damaged after machine washing them. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, handle them with care. Appliance repair Fairfax professionals recommend that you hand wash them, but if you have to machine wash them, toss them in a mesh lingerie bag and use a delicate cycle.

The post How Do You Do Laundry Like A Pro? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

When your washing machine starts vibrating madly it can be alarming. But is it actually an indication of a problem? Yes, it is. The problem may be something easily dealt with or it may be an indication of something more serious. In any case, if your washing machine is shaking, thumping, and threatening to walk out of its place, you need to pay attention.

Distribution in the Drum

When your washing machine gets off balance only occasionally, the cause may well be the distribution of the items in the drum. Sometimes a particular item may be much heavier than others and its presence can make the machine start to shake, especially during the spin cycle. For instance, if you are washing your bath mat along with your bedding, the material of the bath mat absorbs much more water than the cotton sheets. The difference in weight between that single item and the others is enough to throw the washing machine off balance.

Overfilling

Another reason that your washing machine may get off balance sometimes is overfilling. When too many items are in the drum, the agitation and the spin cycles of the machine are compromised. You may think that you’re saving time, energy, and water by filling your washing machine beyond capacity, but you’re not. If the clothes can’t be vigorously agitated, they can’t be cleaned properly. If they can’t move around enough for the spin cycle to be effective, it will take much longer for the dryer to dry them. So now you’ll have several problems instead of the one issue of your washing machine being off balance.

What To Do

You may be tempted to just ignore your washing machine if it gets off balance once in a while. Don’t. Every time your washing machine goes off balance, it is straining and potentially damaging the internal workings. If you hear it thumping and shaking, you need to act. If the problem is unequal distribution, remove the heavier items and spin them separately. If the problem is overfilling, take some of the items out and restart the washing machine to be sure your clothes get clean. Doing this may cause some inconvenience, but it may save your washing machine.

Machine Not Level

Both of the examples above result from specific laundry loads causing the machine to go out of kilter. If your washing machine vibrates and shakes every time you use it, there’s something else going on. It may be that your machine is not actually level. All buildings settle and it’s entirely possible that your laundry room floor is not completely level. In order to determine if this is the issue, simply place a level on top of your washing machine. If it indicates that there’s a problem, then adjust the feet of the washing machine until the level shows true.

None of the Above

When you have eliminated all of the above causes and your washing machine is still threatening to walk out on you, it’s time to call in the experts at Dave’s Appliance. It’s probably an issue with the internal parts of the machine. Anything from loose or displaced screws or bolts to a broken belt could be the culprit. In any event, it’s important to get the problem resolved. Just as driving a car that has no oil can ruin the entire motor, ignoring an off balance washing machine can ruin the whole machine.

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Your dryer is making a strange noise; or your dryer is taking ages to dry the clothes properly. Maybe it’s filling the entire room with moist heat. In any event, it is apparent that something is seriously wrong with your dryer. Now, should you repair it or replace it? That’s a big decision, and in this post, we’ll examine the various factors you should consider.

The 50% Rule

As with other appliances, the 50% Rule applies: if your appliance is over 50% of its expected lifespan of 10 to 13 years, and it costs more than 50% of its replacement cost to repair it, it may be time to think about replacement. Obviously, that calculation also changes if you are remodelling and want something that’s a better fit or are concerned about energy efficiency.

Kind and Cost

Is your dryer a vented or ventless dryer? Your house is set up for one or the other and the kind you currently have will impact your choice of repair or replace. Vented dryers are common, so they are also the least expensive to purchase. You can get a vented dryer for as little as $300 and as much as $1500. A condenser dryer can be anywhere from $600 to $2000. Heat pump dryers were only introduced to the U.S. market in 2015, and are the most expensive. They can cost $1300 and up. These are just initial costs, however. Over time, condenser dryers can save you money, especially the heat pump dryers. When there’s no vent to the outdoors, the energy efficiency of your home naturally increases. Also, the ventless dryer recycles the air it uses, thereby creating a potential savings (especially during Milwaukee winters).

What’s The Environmental Impact?

Often, the environmental impact of repairing or replacing isn’t considered at all. But perhaps you should think about it. If your appliance is old and inefficient, it may be using a lot of electricity. That’s bad for the environment and bad for your utility bills. If your appliance was made after 1992, it should have an Energy Star Rating to let you know how efficient it is. You can compare it to current appliances’ efficiency. On the other hand, your old appliance can’t just be thrown out. Major household appliances are banned from landfills in Wisconsin and the state urges that they be reused or recycled. In many places in Wisconsin, appliances are not picked up at the curb with other recyclables, nor are they accepted at many general recycling drop-off sites. It may be the more environmentally-responsible choice to repair rather than replace.

Warranty Issues

Although consumer surveys indicate that on average people are happier with repairs performed by local repair services over factory repairs, you’ll want to call on your warranty if it’s still in force. If it’s not, the experienced repairmen at Dave’s Appliance can help. A telephone consultation is free.

Installation Fees

Don’t forget that installation costs can be significant for major appliances. Those are included in any quotes that Dave’s Appliance gives you, so you’re not going to be unpleasantly surprised: No Hidden Costs, Ever.

If you’re still wondering whether you should repair or replace your dryer, give the experts at Dave’s Appliance a call and we can advise you based on your specific situation.

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While dishwashers have been around for a long time, most homeowners know only their basic workings. As you can guess, this means that they always achieve mediocre results with their appliances.

What they don’t know is that there are plenty of dishwasher hacks they can use to get cleaner dishes and maintain their appliances for a long time. Wondering which hacks are these? Here they are as given by dishwasher repair professionals:

You don’t need to rinse the dishes

To make the work easy for the dishwashers, some homeowners rinse their dishes. This is unnecessary.

If you have been taking good care of your dishwasher, the appliance shouldn’t have a problem wiping off the chunks of extra food that could potentially clog your drains.

A well-maintained dishwasher should generate enough water pressure and heat to wash off even food that might have dried and stuck on the dishes.

Run a cycle with vinegar

If you have hard water and your dishwasher builds up mineral deposits, run a cycle with vinegar. The beauty of vinegar is natural, so you don’t have to worry about damaging your dishwasher. It’s also highly effective at getting rid of the musty smells, so you have a fresh-smelling appliance.

Once every few weeks, run a complete dishwasher cycle without any dishes or detergent. The vinegar will remove all the trapped particles, detergent residues, and minerals that might have built up in the appliance.

Load the dishes from the back to front

It’s definitely easier to pop a crack in the dishwasher and stick your dirty dishes there, but this isn’t the right way to go about it. This is because this leads to you having a problem keeping the dishes clean and unloading them.

For your dishes to be clean and easy to unload, pull the rack all the way out and load the dishwasher from the back to front.

Organize your flatware properly

If you don’t have a premium dishwasher with a horizontal silverware tray, place the forks and spoons pointing up and some pointing down. If your appliance doesn’t allow this, ensure that you don’t put all the forks together—mix them up with spoons.

When you mix them up, you allow the water to pass through each utensil more easily, so you have cleaner tines and spoon surfaces.

Arrange the plates facing inward

Most of the standard dishwasher models have sprayer arms that shoot water from the bottom center of the machine, stopping just a few inches short of the interior walls.

If you arrange the plates facing outward, the water jets might fail to reach the surfaces facing the wall, and you have unwashed dishes by the end of the cycle. To avoid this, arrange the plates facing inwards instead.

Put the bowls on the bottom rack, facing the center

Due to their shape, it’s tempting to place the bowls in the empty spots in the dishwasher, but don’t do this as they might damage the plates. They also might not get as clean as you want them.

To avoid this, place the bowls at the bottom rack, facing the center. When placing them, ensure there is a little overlap between them as much as possible. This is to ensure that the bowls receive the full force of the water stream and you don’t have smudgy spots.

Place the delicate items on the top rack.

The fragile items such as plastic storage containers, stemware, and glasses should go in the top rack, away from the jets. The reason for this is because the water pressure and temperature are a tad lower here. As a result, the items you place here are less likely to break or melt.

You can use the dishwasher to clean other items.

Besides the dishes, you can use the dishwasher to clean other items such as plastic kids’ toys, baseball caps, metal cabinet handles, and plastic combs. To ensure that these items get thoroughly clean, appliance repair Alexandria professionals recommend that you place them at their appropriate racks.

You also should run them on a separate cycle—don’t mix them with your dirty dishes. Before you put anything in the dishwasher, confirm that it’s dishwasher safe. You don’t want to damage it, do you?

The post 8 Dishwasher Hacks Every Homeowner Should Know first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

The refrigerator is most probably one of the essential household appliances at your home. Also, it is one of the most expensive home appliances. So why wouldn’t you take proper care of it?

When your refrigerator fails, it can mess up your day.

If you take good care of your fridge, it will run efficiently and last longer, so you don’t need to worry about repairing or replacement costs soon.

Are you wondering what is the proper way to take care of a refrigerator? Well, there are plenty of ways to go about it. Here are some of them as given by appliance repair professionals:

Set the right temperature

Keeping your refrigerator at a temperature between 30-45 degrees Fahrenheit will allow the internal environment to stay consistent, preserving your food quality. Maintaining the right temperature will also ensure that your food stays longer and better.  If you set your refrigerator’s temperature very low, it will have to run more to cool at a lower temperature; you will just be adding an extra run on the compressor that does not need to be there.

Clean out the inside

Food residue, frost or dirt can seem to take over your refrigerator after some time. If you are opening your refrigerator frequently, which is normal to most people, you might spill or forget to close the door. Especially kids forget to close the door and do not clean after themselves in case of spills.

It would help if you cleaned out the inside of your refrigerator two times a year. Do not buy any food to refrigerate the day you plan to clean your refrigerator. Allow the inside to defrost and then dry it up. After cleaning the inside of your refrigerator, look for a fridge aid to help deodorize and keep your refrigerator fresh.

Ensure the doors seal tightly

When most people take something from the refrigerator, they just shut the door and think they have fully closed it. You might often get back to the refrigerator and find its door slightly open, meaning the gasket has an issue. A gasket is a piece of rubber found on the edge of the refrigerator door to ensure the temperature stays consistent. Clean the gaskets twice a year using baking soda and water to clean any dirt or food residue. If necessary, you can seek help from professionals to replace the gasket.

Clean off cooler fan and condenser coils

Cleaning the condenser coils and the cooler fan is one of the most crucial things to maintain your refrigerator.  When dust or dirt cover the coils,this will reduce the energy efficiency. The compressor will run hotter than it would with clean coils. The extra strain on the compressor will reduce its lifespan, causing you stress to replace it.

You should remove the grate at the bottom of your refrigerator and clean it using a brush at least once a year. Condenser coils help in removing heat from freezers and refrigerators. Ensure you have unplugged your refrigerator from the power socket before you start cleaning.

Using a brush, remove all the dirt from the cooler fan, coil, and everything else around there. Use special brushes that help to make cleaning cooler fan and condenser coils easier. Check the manufacturer’s specific cleaning instructions manual in case you have any questions.

Keep your refrigerator full

The more food you have in your fridge, the better your appliance will maintain the proper temperatures. Keeping your refrigerator empty allows warm air to get inside the refrigerator every time you open it. Hence reduce efficiency. Keeping your refrigerator full will reduce the overall maintenance costs and usage of your refrigerator. Even if you mostly eat outside, at least fill your refrigerator with drinks.

Avoid putting warm food in your refrigerator

Always allow food leftovers to cool down before putting them in your refrigerator. This helps to reduce the amount of warm air inside the fridge and save some run time on the compressor.

Bottom-line

Your refrigerator is one of the most expensive appliances at your home so you should take proper care of it.  Ensure you set the correct temperatures on your refrigerator, clean the condenser coils and cooler fans to ensure your refrigerator operates efficiently. In addition, ensure your fridge is always full and avoid placing warm food in your fridge to avoid warm air getting inside. When you notice even a minor problem, don’t ignore it. Instead, get in touch with a refrigerator repair Alexandria expert to look into it.

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